Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="kigmatzomat" data-source="post: 3065739" data-attributes="member: 9254">I'm an unrehabilitated world builder; I spent most of a trans-continental flight the other day figuring out the details of a fortress's patrols. First recommendation: try what other people recommend but don't hesitate to ignore any advice that doesn't work for you.  Second recommendation: don't be so hung up on your own genius that when players identify flaws in your world that you don't address them.  Which is not to say you should change that particular flaw the moment it is brought to your attention; sometimes less than ideal things happen in the real world.  Instead treat whatever it was as a local bit of flavor that is rooted in tradition and use that as more grist for your mental mill.  Third: lie.  Occassionally your players will find some gaping, glaring internal hole in your setting, one that shakes you to your very core.  When it happens sagely rub your chin and say "Why yes, that does strike you as odd.  Perhaps there is more here than you were led to believe."  End the game as soon as feasibe and figure out some rational reason for something so....stupid for happening.  Fourth: Plagiarize, preferrably from as many sources as possible, including the players.   If they have an idle conversation about rogue's guilds, take notes.  Maybe don't use their ideas in this city, but somewhere else.  The players probably won't realize it was their idea but it will be a comforting fact for them as it reinforces their innate comprehension of the setting.  Diversity will keep you from being predictable and will help with developing that unique local flair. Fifth: decide if you have a creationist world or an evolutionary world, or a mixture of both.  World created by sentient beings that actively meddle will be somewhat different from those that evolved both sentience and divinities.  I tend towards a mix with some races having evolved and others were created directly by the gods.  Lastly: Don't make players venture to some newly created part of the map just so you can show it off.  World building is a fun endeavor but it should serve the game as a whole, not be the sole reason you run a game.</blockquote>

Verification